World Cup #8 – Back to the soccer

Am currently sitting in the media centre at Soccer City in Joberg waiting to see if I can get a pitch pass for the Brazil vs Cote d’Ivoire game…fingers crossed. Not sure why but the security around Soccer City stadium is different from the first match I covered here.

There is a heavier police presence. They’re definitely friendly but there are a lot more of them. Last time I was here, entrance to the media centre only meant showing your media card to a volunteer at the doorway. Today we had to walk past a dozen smiling cops, showing your card to at least half of them.

I’ve managed to make it to two matches since returning from the countryside. USA vs Slovenia at Ellis Park, Johannesburg and Australia vs Ghana in Rustenburg. Both good matches, though because of the luck of the draw I haven’t really been in the right spot to capture the defining moments of them. But i’m not complaining. The Rustenburg match was played during dusk, which provided a decent sun set.

It’s good to be back on the sidelines.

Sitting pitch side is obviously quite the experience but this being the first World Cup I haven’t watched solely on television, there is something I miss, literally.

There are huge video monitors at the stadiums but they do not show any fouls or controversial moments on replay. Instead of showing a possible hand ball, someone flicks a switch and all you get is a generic overview of the pitch until the broadcast returns to a live shot. It’s only later after the match in the media room can you see the slow motion replay to see for yourself whether the referee made the right call or not.

But I’ll suck it up and look past that. It’s a burden I’m willing to bare.

Seriously, I’m not complaining.

And since I’ve been typing this, my name’s been called at the waitlist line and I’m in. Just got handed a team sheet and it looks like Drogba starting…should be a good one.